Last night’s ratings for Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals set another mark for TNT. While it wasn’t a record, it became the second most watched NBA game in cable television history, garnering a 6.4 rating and almost 10.9 million viewers. Game 1 of the Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat series set the record with a 6.2 rating and 11.1 million people average viewership. We have the press release straight from TNT.
TNT’s EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE OF GAME #3 OF THE NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS DELIVERS SECOND MOST-VIEWED GAME IN CABLE TELEVISION HISTORY
BULLS-HEAT SERIES AVERAGING MORE THAN 10.6 MILLION TOTAL VIEWERS AND A 6.2 U.S. HH RATING
TNT’s exclusive coverage of the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals series between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat continues to draw record ratings for the network. The pivotal game three of the series became the second most-watched NBA game in cable history based on total viewership by delivering 10,889,000 million total viewers and a 6.4 U.S. HH rating. TNT’s coverage of the opening game of the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals set the record with 11.1 million total viewers and delivered a 6.2 U.S. HH Rating.
Based on Total Viewership, TNT has delivered the Top 3 All-Time NBA Games on cable:
- Game 1 of the 2011 ECF (Miami at Chicago): 11,109,000 viewers (05-15-2011)
- Game 3 of the 2011 ECF (Chicago at Miami): 10,889,000 viewers (05-22-2011)
- 2003 NBA All-Star Game (Jordan’s Last): 10,829,000 viewers (02-03-2003)
Locally, the top five overnight metered markets for Game #3 of the ECF were Miami (24.9 HH Rtg), Chicago (22.5 HH Rtg), West Palm Beach (12.8 HH Rtg), Memphis (11.1 HH Rtg) and New Orleans (9.7 HH Rtg).
Through three games of TNT’s exclusive coverage of the Eastern Conference Finals, the network has averaged a 6.2 U.S. HH Rating (+35%), 10,667,000 Total Viewers (+42%) and 7,231,000 Households (+37%).
To date, TNT’s overall coverage of the NBA Playoffs continues to climb over the network’s coverage from a year ago, averaging a 3.3 U.S. HH Rating (+27%), 5,273,000 Total Viewers (+33%) and 3,819,000 Households (+30%).
Overall, through 38 games, TNT’s 2011 NBA Playoffs coverage also has delivered strong double-digit growth across all key demos including:
- ·A18-34 +41% (1,727,000 vs. 1,228,000)
- · A18-49 +38% (3,020,000 vs. 2,193,000)
- ·A25-54 +33% (2,722,000 vs. 2,041,000)
- ·M18-34 +39% (1,197,000 vs. 861,000)
- ·M18-49 +39% (2,131,000 vs. 1,534,000)
- ·M25-54 +35% (1,900,000 vs. 1,412,000)
Game Four of TNT’s live exclusive coverage of the Eastern Conference Finals continues on Tuesday, May 24 at 8:30 p.m. ET with the NBA Tip-Off with Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Kenny Smith (analyst) and Kevin McHale (analyst) beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET. The night will conclude with Inside the NBA.
Source: Nielsen Media Research, Live + Same Day Data stream. Nielsen Fast National Data also based on Live + SD data stream for 05/22/11). Comparisons for the NBA Playoffs on TNT: Conference Finals Game 1 to-date; 37 games vs. 35 games (04/17/2011 – 05/18/2011) vs. (04/18/2010-5/18/ 2010). Historical comparisons for NBA Round 1, 2 and Conference Finals through Cable only for seasons: 1984-2011.
That will do it.
